


Once More for the Road

by HypatiaTheGunslinger



Series: Adventures of a She-Wolf [3]
Category: Highlander: The Series, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Wolf Lake
Genre: Curses, F/M, Immortals, Rating: NC17, Smut, The Legacy, The Luna Foundation, Vampire Slayer(s), Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-08-14 20:00:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8027026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HypatiaTheGunslinger/pseuds/HypatiaTheGunslinger
Summary: Interlude in the Adventures of a She-Wolf Saga. This story tells one of the adventures that happens during Deirdre’s time in London, between leaving San Francisco and arriving in Wolf Lake. Rated: NC-17 for Sexual Content





	Once More for the Road

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: This story occurs between “Chapter 15:Parting Ways Again” and “Chapter 16:Golden Eyed Girl” in Adventures of a She-Wolf:Return of the Queen.

**Once More for the Road**

 

Deirdre Pierson took a shot of whisky, reminding herself that this was her eighteenth birthday celebration, and dammit it was legal for her to drink in London. Even though Dee had turned eighteen the week before, work got in the way of celebrating. Like it always did.

Why was that again? Oh yeah, because madmen with demonically cursed artifacts rarely respect a Slayer’s personal milestones when deciding to go around cursing people. Dee reminded herself of this as she flexed her ankle. She winced.

 

“Are the heels really necessary?”

 

Amanda Darieux simply raised an eyebrow at her. For her birthday, Deirdre had requested a girl’s night out with Amanda, knowing full well that her dear immortal auntie was the definition of trouble.

Dee needed to get her mind off work and wolves, and the fact that she could never really go home to San Francisco again. But most importantly, Dee was trying to get her mind off a particular member of the San Francisco Legacy House, Nicholas J. Boyle.

 

Nick had been Dee’s favorite trainer/coworker for years while her mother Gloria was alive. Gloria had dated Nick’s boss Derek Rayne. Derek was the Prefect of the San Francisco house. This eventually afforded both Deirdre and Gloria an attaché status within the Legacy. So when she'd been Called as the Slayer, Dee also got called in semi-regularly on Legacy cases involving demons and hellspawn of all kinds.

 

Because they worked and fought closely beside one another, Nick had taken Dee under his wing. He trained Deirdre when her father and his ancillary band of immortals were unavailable. There were many benefits to this arrangement. Deirdre could look up to Nick, she often had a partner in battle, and Nick had become Deirdre’s best friend.

 

Nick was the one Deirdre called from the ER when the doctors had pronounced her mother dead, as a result of gunshot wounds. He’d driven down in the dead of night and just held Dee. Nick had taken her home and tucked her in. He'd even made the funeral arrangements.

 

There was only one,albeit very distinct, drawback to their relationship. Deirdre was completely been in love with Nick, and had been for years.  

Dee had tried to ignore it, truly. She knew that Nick didn't share her feelings, both because of their mentoring relationship, and the fact that Nick was a good decade older than she was.

 

The time didn’t matter so much to Dee, who was on a ticking clock to begin with. But she knew it would matter to him. So, she had been seeking diversions. Her relationship with Hunter had been an unqualified disaster.

This time around, Dee was looking for something much less deep. A meeting of bodies, rather than minds.

Specifically, on at the dawn of her eighteenth year, Deirdre was looking for someone to rid her of her pesky virginity. In lieu of her Mr. Right, Dee was willing to settle for Mr. Right Now.

Enter Amanda Darieux. Cat burglar. Immortal. Swashbuckler. Femme Fatale. What better relative could Dee ask to give her a makeover and be her wing woman in the first seduction of her young life?

The only problem was that Amanda demanded the whole story out of Deirdre before altering so much as Dee’s nail polish. After hearing the Slayer’s tale of unrequited love, Amanda had pretended to hem and haw, but eventually the immortal woman agreed to give Deirdre a head-to-toe makeover.

Dee’s usually spiky streaked hair was set in short waves around her face. She wore skin-tight leather pants with a skimpy jewel-toned top, and a heavily ruched leather jacket to make it ‘tasteful’. They polished it off with a set of stiletto heels that it had taken Deirdre an hour to learn how to walk in, and a sexy set of knickers underneath.

 

“Just in case.” Amanda said. “And even if he never sees them, they’ll make you feel sexier, more confident.” Then she’d made some comment about remembering to take her birth control that really made Dee squirm.

 

Dee rarely wore makeup other than some heavy punky eyeliner. Amanda had insisted on a more smoky sultry eye with a muted berry lipgloss. The effect wasn’t altogether unappealing, Dee thought. And she certainly did look different. Amanda had marched her in front of a mirror at the end, given her a knowing smile, and pronounced her ready to make her move.

 

That had led to a courage building shot of whiskey, and Dee being whisked off to a dive club in Mile End that played trance music too loud, and watered down the drinks.

 

“Any contenders?” Amanda ignored her friend’s discomfort and scanned the room. Dee followed suit.

 

“I don’t know. They all look like they spent hours fixing their hair before coming out, and that's just the guys.” Dee wrinkled her nose in disgust.

 

“What about that guy?” Amanda gestured to a guy wearing a long jersey and jeans with short cropped hair.

 

Deirdre’s face scrunched up. “No. Too skater boy.”

 

Amanda sighed. “Sweety, we’ve been here over an hour and at least half a dozen eligible men have eyed you. This was your idea. So, what’s the problem?”

 

“First off, I’m pretty sure they are eyeing you, Amanda.” Deirdre humphed. “And, I don’t know, maybe I just haven’t seen anyone I feel comfortable going home with yet. It’s not like I’ve ever done this before.”

 

“Or,” Amanda replied with a pointed smirk, “Maybe you do have someone you’d like to go home with, and he’s just not here.”

 

Deirdre rolled her eyes. “I knew I should never have told you about him.”

 

“What’s the problem?” Amanda asked. She ran an idle fingertip around the rim of her martini glass. “If you want the boy, which clearly you do, you should go after him.”

 

Deirdre picked up a shot glass full of green liquid and tossed it back. She shook her head wildly and made a face. Dee gagged a little as the absinthe burned down her throat.

 

“The problem.” Dee countered. “Is that I’m in love with my best friend, who is too damn noble to consider someone a decade his junior as a romantic prospect. He treats me like a little sister, everywhere but in battle.”

 

Amanda smirked at Dee again. Deirdre shook her head. “Don’t even think about it. No. This is better. I pick out a random guy to hook up with. I rid myself of my virginity, and move on with my life. No muss, no fuss, no emotions involved. Eighteen is too old to live without passion, and I could die tomorrow.”

 

“Exactly my point.” Amanda replied between shots. “What better reason could there be to take a chance? Tell Captain Abs that you love him! He might surprise you. If all else fails, there’s always absinthe.”

 

Before Dee could argue, her phone rang. She pulled it out of her purse and flipped it open. “This is Pierson...Derek? Wait, slow down. What happened to Nick?”

 

Deirdre listened to Derek, her phone pressed painfully to her ear to drown out the club noise. Her heart jumped into her chest. Nick was in trouble. “That’s not possible, I just saw you guys an hour ago. He was fine…Okay, I can be there in twenty minutes.”

 

Amanda put a hand on Deirdre’s shoulder. “Go. And remember what I said. It’s never too soon to tell someone you love them. No matter how long you live.”

 

It took Dee exactly seventeen minutes to get to the Legacy Ruling house on her bike. As Rogers the butler opened the mansion’s massive wooden door to her, Deirdre pushed past him, “Please, I need to see Derek Rayne. It’s urgent.”

 

No sooner had the words left her lips then a cacophony of raised voices sounded through the library doors and two figures burst into the foyer. Derek, the Prefect of the San Francisco House, did not look happy. His colleague Rachel Corrigan was similarly upset. They were in London along with Nick, tracking the Key of Uruz. The artifact carried a nasty demonic curse which sentenced any man that touched it, to burn to death from the inside. Unless he gave in to the urge to ravage women to satisfy the unbearable lust the curse imbued.

 

The Key was being passed around San Francisco and then London by a mad neo-libertine who fancied himself the next Marquis de Sade. She and Methos had aided the Legacy with a bit of information that had resulted in the madman’s capture. Deirdre had been sure that her long-time friends from the San Francisco House were headed home on the Concorde. Apparently not.

 

“Derek!” She called out. “Rachel, what’s going on?”

 

Derek turned toward the Slayer, temporarily jarred from the string of Belgian curses he was spouting.  He looked liked he’d aged ten years in the last 24 hours, since she’d seen him. “Deirdre? What are you wearing?”

 

Dee looked down at her tight leather pants and high heels awkwardly. “Nevermind that. What’s wrong? I thought you two and Nick were headed back to the States tonight.”

 

Derek’s face darkened at the sound of his friend’s name. That more than anything made Dee’s stomach sink. The thought of Nick in trouble made Dee’s heart ache in her chest.

 

Derek frowned. “Nick has locked himself away. He won’t listen to reason. If we don’t do something, he’ll be dead by daybreak.”

 

Deirdre turned Rachel. It was obvious she had been crying. Dee put a hand on her shoulder. “Rachel, isn’t there something you can do for him medically? There has to be a cure.”

 

Derek cut Rachel off, “There is, that’s why I called you. We need your help, Deirdre. Nick needs your help.”

 

Mrs. Grable, a stern senior researcher for the Ruling House, and one of Callum’s superiors, took the opportunity to peek her head out of the library. “Derek, Mr. Stanton requests that you rejoin the meeting at once. The situation with Mr. Boyle needs to be resolved.”

 

Derek gave Dee a pained look before returning to the library, closing the door behind him. Rachel glared at his back, then sighed with sorrow. Deirdre slid a hand down her arm, pulling her attention back.

 

“Rachel, please. You know I would do anything to help Nick! Tell me what happened. Otherwise, how can I help?”

 

Rachel took a deep breath and pulled Deirdre into a side parlor. “We were hunting down the Key of Uruz.”

 

“Yeah, I know.” Deirdre replied. “I called the location into Nick. Doc said you caught the guy who was passing that Lust Curse around.”

 

Rachel nodded, tears gathering at the edges of her eyes. “When we caught Rothschild, he threw the Key at Nick. It was a reflex… Nick didn’t mean to catch it.”

 

Dee’s eyes went wide. “He caught it? He touched it?”

 

Rachel pulled Dee in for a hug. “Oh, honey. The curse…he…it’s already started.”

 

“Started?” Dee said, her eyes going wide. “He’s not…”

 

“No! No. No.” Rachel replied quickly. “He hasn’t hurt anyone. As soon as the symptoms started, he locked himself in one of the tower rooms. He refuses to come out, or to let anyone go in. He’s decided to let the curse run its course. Derek has been trying to reason with him. We both have. But the council is trying to decide whether to authorize his decision. Derek is in with them now.”

 

Dee shook her head. “No. No, Rachel! I read the legend of the Key, if he doesn’t get relief, the curse will burn him alive from the inside out! We can’t just let him die! Derek said there’s some sort of cure?”

 

“There is, but sweetheart, it’s such a lot to ask. If you-” Rachel’s reply was interrupted by the return of Rogers. “Dr. Corrigan, your presence is requested in the library.”

 

Dee followed her friend into the grand room, which had been converted to a makeshift conference room. Several people, some old, some young; but all of whom Dee recognized as members of the Legacy Ruling House were gathered around a large research table.

 

Gareth Stanton, the Prefect of the Ruling House straightened his stuffy brown suit and cleared his throat on seeing her. “This is a closed meeting of the Ruling Council, Miss Pierson. I must kindly ask for you to leave at once.”

 

Deirdre crossed her arms over her chest, resolutely. “With all due respect, Mr. Stanton, you can ask all you like. But Nick Boyle is a good friend of mine as well. And as I recall, my father and I had a hand in cleaning up your latest mess. So as one of the Initiated, I have a right to be present. If you disagree, you are more than welcome to try removing me.”

 

Stanton looked as if he was considering it, and the other occupants of the table all looked highly uncomfortable. He relented, nodding toward a vacant seat. Dee settled into the offered chair. Stanton then turned back to his Council. “As, I was saying… If the Council proceeds with its recommendation to acquiesce to Mr. Boyle’s wishes, a new appointment will need to be made to replace him.”

 

“We can’t just let him die!” Derek hissed. “Nicholas Boyle has devoted his life to the Legacy. How can it desert him now?”

 

Mrs. Grable answered him. “It is Mr. Boyle’s wish that no action be taken. You said so yourself, Derek.”

 

“And in any case,” Stanton continued. “any attempt at the cure seems rather beyond our reach. So, the point is moot.”

 

“Okay, so...” Deirdre interjected, earning annoyed glances from all parties. “There IS a cure?”

 

Stanton rolled his eyes. “This is a little above your pay grade, my dear. It doesn’t involve smashing or staking things. So, if you would, hold your tongue and let the grown-ups get on with the matters at hand.”

 

Deirdre had no intention of doing that. “What’s the cure? Maybe I could get it for him?”

 

“It’s not that simple.” One of the more junior researchers replied. Dee recognized him as a Scottish boy named Ian. “The cure isn’t an object or a potion, it’s a person.”

 

“Thank you very much for that, Mr. Tunstall.” Stanton silenced the lad, giving him a glare that said he’d be dealt with harshly later.

 

“What person?” Dee looked at Derek for help but he just hung his head, defeated.

 

Rachel put a hand on Dee’s arm. “Honey, like I said, it’s a lot to ask of anyone. I think it was highly inappropriate for Derek to call you about this..”

 

Dee wasn’t going to let it go, though. “What do you mean inappropriate? Come on, Rachel, I am not that dense, though I’m sure Whitehall here would like to think so!”

 

“Very well,” Stanton growled. “Since you cannot seem to take a hint, or to recognize rules of common decency, I’ll tell you. The cure is a night spent sacrificing a maidenhead. There! Does that satisfy you? May we move on?”

 

“A maidenhead.” Dee turned the phrase over in her head. She looked Derek straight in the eye, finally understanding why he had called her. Dee nodded at him.“So, a virgin is needed to break the curse?”

 

“Yes!” Stanton grumbled. “Four points to the Slayer. But as that particular description does not fit anyone in this house, and the only one in any Legacy house that we know of is Katherine Corrigan, who is entirely too young; we seem to have a lack of volunteers to come to Nick Boyle’s aid. So, again, if you don’t mind!”

 

With that, the room fell silent. After a moment Stanton took it as his cue to continue the discussion of replacing Nick. A few more minutes in and Stanton was interrupted again by a barely audible comment from the Slayer’s seat. “Oh, what is it now?”

 

“I said.” Deirdre replied, her voice shaky. “I’ll do it.”

 

“I’m sorry, you’ll do what exactly?”

 

All eyes were back on Dee, and this time she was clearly uncomfortable at the attention. She took a deep breath and started again. “You said that a cure was out of reach because you couldn’t find a suitable candidate. You couldn’t find a virgin…other than Kat. Well, now you have. Me. And I’m volunteering to help Nick.”

 

A pin could have been heard dropping in that room. A moment later chaos broke loose as everyone in the room tried to put in their two cents at once. Stanton held up a hand to silence the room. “Miss Pierson, are you sure you would be willing to make such a sacrifice? I realize that you are used to helping people. But this goes a little beyond your Calling.”

 

Deirdre nodded, her decision made. “Nick is my friend. I won’t let him die if I can help it.”

 

Stanton, usually a very stodgy Old Guard type, let his face soften as he regarded her. He nodded back. “Alright. Clear the room. Mr. Tunstall, Dr. Rayne and Dr. Corrigan may stay. The rest of you, I believe, have other cases to work on.”

 

Once the other Council members had left, Dee felt like she was able to breathe a bit better. Rachel took her aside while the men discussed the specific requirements to attempt the cure. “Deedee, are you sure you want to do this?”

 

“I’ve made up my mind, Rachel.” Dee confirmed. “I have to try and help Nick.”

 

“But this is your…” Rachel searched for the right words. “your innocence, we are talking about here. This should be something that you share with someone you love. I want to make sure you’ve considered what you’re giving up here. And what it will do to you…and to Nick.”

 

Deirdre felt her face start to burn and she pinched her eyes shut. Her mind flashed unbidden to Nick’s face. She’d gotten all made up to find a random hookup. Dee had planned a night of meaningless no-strings-attached sex, with the outfit to match. Now it looked like Amanda was going to get her wish, Dee was going to hookup with the man of her dreams.

 

Dee looked up at her friend. “It’s his life, Rachel. His life!”

 

Rachel nodded. She gave the Slayer a teary hug, rubbing her hands over Dee’s back in a mothering gesture. The men seemed to come to a consensus and Derek broke away from them. He took one of Dee’s hands. “Are you sure?”

 

Dee nodded again, just managing not to roll her eyes at him. “Isn’t this why you called me in the first place? Don’t get cold feet on me know, Derek.”

 

Derek didn’t push it any farther. “Legend says the curse can only be broken by the willing sacrifice of a maidenhead, but there seems to be more to it.”

 

Derek ushered Dee over to the ancient book that Ian was pouring over that held the process for the cure. Ian gave Dee a heartening smile. “The legend says that once the cursed man, in this case Boyle, has lain with the maiden, you, he must remain with her until sunrise; in order that the curse be lifted.”

 

“Okay.” Dee breathed. “So, I go up there, and you lock me in with him until dawn. Seems easy enough.”

 

Stanton and Ian exchanged an uncomfortable look. “What Mr. Tunstall means to say is that the affected party must remain with his conquest in the …biblical sense, until sunrise.”

 

“Oh.” Dee blinked. “Oh! Well….okay then. Awkward. But it doesn’t really change the basic strategy does it?”

 

“No.” Stanton replied. “I suppose it doesn’t. But there is a chance that Mr. Boyle may be uncooperative, considering your history. And much as we all have faith in his willpower, there is the risk that the curse will have made him violent.”

 

“Well then, I guess it’s a good job you’re sending in a Slayer.” Dee replied resolutely.

 

Stanton slapped his hands together to try and clear the tension in the room. “Alright. Well I suppose that is settled then.”

 

Dee turned to Derek, suddenly loathe to address Stanton directly. “How much time does Nick have?”

 

Derek put on a brave, practical face for her. “From what the legend states, and what we’ve seen in the other affected men, he’ll be dead by morning if no action is taken.”

 

“So tonight, then.” Dee sighed, a lump building in the back of her throat. “Okay. Is it alright if I take a minute? I just want to call Doc. Let him know what’s happening, and that I’ll be staying here tonight.”

 

“Of course.” Derek replied. Stanton indicated a door to her left. “The study should be unoccupied. I’ll let Rogers know that you aren’t to be disturbed.”

 

With another hug from Rachel, Dee excused herself to the massive study. She collapsed on one of the big leather sofas, taking in heaving, panicky breaths. Everything was going so fast. She wanted to consult her mother, but Gloria was gone, and Dee would be damned if she was going to call Vivian Cates. So she did the next best thing. Dee dialed her father’s number automatically and the knots in her stomach twisted as it rang.

 

“Yello!”

 

Dee let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. He was out with MacLeod tonight, catching a show at Joe’s new London bar. She’d told him that she was going out with Amanda, but the plan was that Dee would meet her father at their flat. “Doc! Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve had a change of plans tonight.”

 

“What’s wrong?” Methos replied, alarm sounding in his voice. Apparently she’d been unsuccessful keeping the anxiety out of hers. “Hold on!”

 

Dee heard the noise on the other end of the line decrease from a mass of voices and blues music to almost silence. Methos must have moved out of the bar so he could hear her better. “Okay, just had to get out of there. Now tell me, what’s wrong?”

 

The whole story came flooding out of her in almost one breath: from her outing with Amanda, to her refusal to confess her feelings to Nick, to the current situation at the Legacy Ruling House. Dee was sure she couldn’t have made much sense, but Methos seemed to get the salient points. She could hear his sigh from the other end of the line and the tension in her shoulders felt like it was reaching breaking point.

 

“You don’t have to do it, you know.” He said simply.

 

Dee took in a deep breath and thanked the stars for her father’s practical nature. No recriminations. No questioning her decisions. Just a simple statement of alternative. “He’ll die if I don’t.”

 

“That isn’t your responsibility. I know that you love the boy. But if he doesn’t feel the same, this will hurt; in ways you cannot even imagine. People die.” Methos reasoned. “That’s what they do.”

 

“Not this time.” She countered. “Not if I can help it.”

 

Deirdre could almost feel the pride in her father’s reply. “Well, then it sounds like you’ve made up your mind.”

 

Dee smiled, a sense of peace filling her, knowing that he supported her. “I have.”

 

“So?”

 

“What if I lose him after this? I don’t think I can handle losing my best friend if I…” Dee’s voice cracked.

 

“Say it.” Methos said. His voice serious, providing that gentle pressure as it always did, to encourage her to do what she needed to. “You need to be able to say it. Or you won’t be able to deal with doing it.”

 

Dee closed her eyes tightly. “I don’t want to lose Nick, if I sleep with him.”

 

It seemed to be enough because his reply was ready. “That may happen. But if it does, Nick Boyle isn’t half as smart as I give him credit for. Either way, you’ve made your decision. Do what you have to do.”

 

“Thank you, Daddy.” Dee breathed. She hadn’t called him that since she was small, but it seemed to fit now.

 

“Take care of yourself.” He crooned. “I’ll pick you up there in the morning, and we’ll go out for a coffee, yeah?”

 

“Okay.”

 

“I’m very proud of you, Deirdre.”

 

“Thanks, Doc. Goodnight.”

 

“Goodnight.”

 

Five minutes later, Deirdre stood outside the door to Nick’s tower room. Derek handed her a key.

 

“Skeleton Key.” He said. “The suite takes up the whole floor. The rooms below are vacant, so you’ll have privacy. Lock the door behind you, slip the key underneath and Rachel will be up to let the two of you out in the morning.”

 

“Okay.” Dee nodded taking the key from him. He placed a hand briefly over hers. His expression was unreadable.

 

“Thank you for doing this.” Derek said. “For trying. I know you and I have not always been close. But I loved your mother and I do care about you, and I know that this is hard. Nick is my best friend, and I want to thank you for trying to save him.”

 

Deirdre welled up a bit as he hugged her. She unlocked the thick oak door, and slipped behind it as silently as possible. She locked it, and slipped the key underneath the door. She listened to Derek pick up the key and waited for his footsteps to disappear down the hallway before she proceeded into the common room of the suite.

 

The room was lit only by a carefully tended fire. The light from it illuminated a high back chair that was faced away from her. She could just barely see the form of a man’s shoe around the side.

 

“Who’s there?” Nick’s voice sounded gravelly, painful, and slightly drunk. “I told Derek I didn’t want to be disturbed! I’ve said my goodbyes. Now let me die in peace!”

 

      Dee rounded the chair letting her heels hit the floor. When she finally saw her friend’s face, illuminated only by firelight, she gasped. He’d shucked his shirt to try and keep his temperature down. His face, bare chest, and arms were bright pink and red welts were beginning to form. It had only been a few hours since his contact with the Key, but already Nick had developed second degree burns on his skin. And if the curse burned from the inside out, Dee could only imagine the pain he must be feeling.

 

“So this is how you’ve chosen to die, huh?” She mused, trying to keep her tone light. “A bit ugly don’t you think?”

 

Dee couldn’t help it, her voice broke. “Oh, Nick.”

 

“Deirdre? What are you doing here?” Nick asked, confused. His eyes were bloodshot. Lustful urges, he had been ignoring in his agonized gut for the past few hours, were now jumping back to life at the sight of a female in his presence. He clamped down on them again. But she hadn’t exactly made it easy. “And what are you wearing?”

 

Dee ignored the second question for the first. “I’m here to help you.”

 

Nick laughed bitterly. He was trying hard not to leer at her, he really was. “Come to shove a stake through my heart, and put me out of my misery? Do I really rate a visit from the Slayer?”

 

Her expression turned serious. “I didn’t come here as the Slayer. I came as your friend.” She made a show of undoing the waist buttons on her jacket and slipping it from her shoulders to reveal the low-cut spaghetti strap top beneath. “And I have no intention of letting you die.”

 

“Then what could you…?” He gave her another confused look. Then realization dawned on his face. “But you’re not… I mean you couldn’t be. No. No, this isn’t going to happen.”

 

Nick propelled himself out of the chair with a painful grunt. The burn and aches that had started in his belly and chest had moved into his spine after an hour or so. Then the pain had moved into his joints, then to his muscles, and finally began stinging his skin. Underneath it all was an undercurrent of lust that pulsed like a living being through his flesh. Up until now, he’d managed to keep it dormant.

 

Derek had explained to Nick what breaking the curse entailed when he had first started showing symptoms. He’d rejected the idea outright. And if Dee was implying that she was here to exchange her virginity for his life, he didn’t think he could live with the guilt. But the thought of Deirdre looking like she did now, beneath him, was almost too much to bear. Still he mustered up the will to back away from her as she walked toward him.

 

“Nick, please.” She pleaded. “Let me help you. I don’t want to lose any more of the people I care about.”

 

His back hit the bookcase behind him, sending a fresh sting down his spine. “No. No, I can’t hurt you like that. Your first time should be with someone you love.”

 

She smiled gently. “And so it will be. You’re my friend, and I love you. And I can’t exactly say that I find you unattractive either.”

 

It took everything he had not to lunge at her. “You’re too young.”

 

“I’m eighteen.” She replied evenly. “I’m of consenting age in both the US and UK. And given my Calling, I’m closer to the end of my lifespan than you are. Besides, you yourself have had liaisons with hundred year old demons and spirits. I fail to see how this is any worse. I’m old enough to know what I want. And tonight, I want you.”

 

She reached out a hand and her fingers brushed his chest, then up his neck to caress his face. Miraculously, the flesh brushed by her fingertips lost its angry red flare, fading back to his regular pale skin tone. The pain seemed to lessen in that area as well, and he found that he could breathe easier.

 

“Come on, Nick. Cut me some slack. I don’t have a whole lot of experience seducing men. That was pretty much part of the job description.”

 

It would have been so easy for Nick to give in to her light tone, and the relief her touch brought. Everything that his body was telling him made him want to take her down to the floor, right then and there, both to ease the lust and the pain. But that only made him fight harder. He shut his eyes tight and backed himself as far into the bookcase as he could, clamping his hands on the wood shelf behind him, so he’d be less inclined to grab her.

 

“Wow!” Dee laughed. But it was her mirthless tone that made Nick open his eyes back up. Bitter, hurt, and surprised. Those emotions all showed in the wide-eyed frown that she sent his way. “You would actually rather die than shag me.”

 

His gut twisted at that, for reasons that had nothing to do with the curse. Nick was being an asshole, and he knew it. But she couldn’t actually grasp the importance of what she was offering, could she?

 

Dee backed away from Nick, tears of humiliation stinging at the edges of her eyes. “Well, cheers mate. Guess I should thank you. That explains a lot about my lack of pull with guys. I had no idea I was that repugnant.”

 

Dee turned to pick up the jacket she had laid over one of the other high-backed chairs near the fireplace. She was halfway through buttoning it back up when she felt herself spun around, and a pair of lips seared against her own. Nick backed her up against one of the room’s stone support pillars. She moaned into the kiss, allowing him to pin her arms at her sides. His tongue pressed against the seam of her lips, seeking entry. She complied, and let him explore the recesses of her mouth, lighting a fire in her own belly. Damn, but he was thorough. It wasn’t as if she had never been kissed before. Dee wasn’t quite that innocent. It was just that she had never been kissed that matter-of-factly.

 

When he finally did pull away, Nick saw the wanton look that remained on his young friend’s face. What startled him was that her eyes were glowing bright gold. She had told him about becoming a Wolf, which he’d sworn would never make it into any of his Legacy reports.

 

Still, for some reason, the sight served to remind him yet again that she wasn’t any ordinary girl. It frightened and enticed Nick at the same time. He had meant the kiss to make a point, but it seemed to have sapped whatever willpower he had left to resist Deirdre. Still, he had to try.

 

Nick rolled his hips against Dee’s, grinding his erection into her. He lowered his lips to her ear and murmured hoarsely. “Is this what you want? To be hurt? To be ravished? Because, if it is, I’ll do it, but it will cost me what’s left of my soul.”

 

Dee managed to keep a laugh inside. She wanted to spin him around and pin him to the pillar. It would have been easy. The Wolf , the Slayer, and the woman inside her all wanted to demonstrate just how hard it would be to actually hurt her - and how much she surprisingly would not mind being ravished. But that wasn’t what Nick needed to hear. Instead, she placed what she hoped was a chaste kiss to his lips, and looked him straight in the eye.

 

“I trust you, Nick. You’re my friend, and I will always trust you. Do you trust me?”

 

That was Nick Boyle’s undoing. That kindness. He fought to brush his lips over Deirdre’s forehead, before the urges took over. “Any man would be honored…I am honored to be allowed to make love to you. And I do trust you. But I am scared to death of hurting you.”

 

Then Dee did spin him. Nick had been a Navy Seal and it wasn’t often he was taken off guard. But she was damned fast, and he barely knew what hit him. His back hitting the pillar hurt, but it didn’t sting quite as much as before. She pinned his arms above his head, exerting just enough pressure on his wrists to make her point.

 

“I’m not a china doll, Nick. I don’t break that easy.”

 

Now it was Deirdre’s turn to kiss Nick with fury. She tangled her fingers in his short hair and leaned into him. He gave in, wrapping his arms tightly around her, pulling her even tighter against him. Dee ran her hands up and down his bare back. He could feel the burn in his skin receding everywhere she touched him. The ache in his chest and gut lessened to the point that all he could consciously feel was the heat of desire pooling in his stomach and groin.

 

Nick pressed Dee up against the pillar again, pulling her legs up to wrap around his waist. She moaned her encouragement into his mouth. He pulled away, his lips trailing down the column of her throat and nipping lightly at her clavicle. She gasped and rolled her hips against his, making him groan. Nick pressed his forehead to hers, trying to catch his breath as he set her back down.

 

“Nick?” Dee breathed, for a moment worrying that he’d changed his mind again.

 

Nick brought a hand up to stroke the side of her face, tracing his thumb over her swollen lips. Deirdre leaned in to his touch. “Sweetheart, if I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it right.”

 

Dee gave him a confused, slightly dazed look. “Huh?”

 

He took her by the hand, the pain within him growing again from the lack of contact. Nick led her into the bedroom of the suite, switching the small bedside lamp on, so he could see her better. Deirdre’s eyes widened when they lit on the king-sized four poster bed, which had long ago belonged to an English nobleman and his young bride.

 

“Wow.”

 

Dee hadn’t meant for the word to sound as much like a squeak as it did. She cleared her throat, giving him a nervous smile. “Big bed.”

 

Nick frowned. “Deirdre, if you’re having second thoughts about this…”

 

“No second thoughts.” She cut him off quickly, touching a finger to his lips. “No thoughts at all really. My thoughts sorta topped out with ‘Big bed’.”

 

He chuckled. Kissing her gently, he breathed. “We’ll go as slow as you need to. We have all night.”

 

“All night.” Dee nodded, remembering something. “Yes, Stanton said we have to be together all night. Or the curse won’t break.”

 

Nick looked troubled. Derek hadn’t mentioned that part. Deirdre kissed him again to wipe the frown from his face. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders for a moment, relaxing in his embrace before pulling away again. Now it was his turn to look confused.

 

“You said we were going to do this properly, yeah?”

 

“Yes.” Nick nodded, watching her backup to the edge of the bed.

 

“Well,” She sighed. “As I understand it, doing it properly requires far fewer clothes.”

 

Nick watched Dee unbutton her jacket and slip it off her shoulders for the second time. She then toed off the high heels she was still wearing. She wasn’t looking him in the eye anymore, but concentrating on the task at hand. Nick felt slightly bemused, and very aroused watching her undress for him. He couldn’t help letting his eyes rake over her body as she pulled the silky top over her head, revealing the lacy pink bra beneath.

 

He had never looked at her like this, like a woman. But there was that saying about desperate times. Nick didn’t let his brain dwell too long on that thought, both because it was painful in the literal sense, and because he spotted Dee’s hands starting to shake as they went to unbutton her leather pants.

 

He caught Dee under the chin with the crook of his finger and forced her to look up at him. “You’re beautiful, do you know that?”

 

Nick wrapped an arm around her, settling Dee against his chest for a brief hug. He held her like that until he felt her stop trembling. “Although, I haveta ask, because it’s been bugging me. Who picked out your outfit?”

 

Dee chuckled, the tension draining from her. “Amanda.”

 

“Ah,” He smiled. “I should have guessed that.”

 

Nick’s expression turned serious as he went in for another kiss. This time he started with that gentle probing of her mouth that built in heat as they went along. He lifted Dee’s leather clad butt onto the edge of the bed. He kicked off his shoes and socks before stepping between her thighs and tangling his fingers in her silky hair while his mouth traveled over her throat and shoulders.  

 

Deirdre gasped as his face dipped between her breasts to taste the soft skin there. It was one of many places that no one had ever touched her, and the feel of his stubble against the sensitive spot was making her head spin with desire. She felt a bolt of heat shoot to her core, and she moaned. Taking this as a good sign, Nick took the opportunity to divest her of her pants. He slid the supple leather down her legs, throwing the garment behind him when it cleared her heels.

 

She scooted up the turned down bed to rest against the downy pillows. Nick followed her, now wearing just his jeans and boxers. He took in the sight of her clad in only the matching bra and thong set. He let his lips dance over hers, her throat, her shoulders and the tops of her breasts. At some point, one of them released the clasp behind her, and the frilly lace bra fell away.

 

“Damn,” he said in utter awe.

 

The band t-shirts and leather jackets she’d been fond of since hitting her teens had done a fine job of concealing her curves. Her breasts were soft, round as melons, and tipped with pebble sized rosy nipples. The strong muscles around her rib cage held them aloft as Dee breathed heavily. Somehow, during all the years he’d trained her, Nick hadn't noticed Dee maturing so well physically. That was probably all for the best. But he was noticing now. Every last inch of him was very very aware of every last inch of her, at the moment. And it was very obvious by the way she was staring at his crotch that the awareness was mutual.

 

Nick noticed her catch her bottom lip in between her teeth. “What is it, sweetheart?

 

“I…” Deirdre stared deeply into the eyes of the man she loved, wanting to tell him everything that was in her heart. Then she completely chickened out. “I seem to be the only one getting naked here. Doesn’t seem quite fair.”

 

A lopsided grin broke across Nick’s face. By way of response, he bent down to taste the tip of one breast, then the other. Letting himself drown in her sweetness. He didn’t come up for air, until he heard her gasps turn into growling moans.At first, he thought he might have hurt her, but then he saw her eyes. They were back to glowing gold.

 

Deirdre let her golden eyes travel. Nick as ex-military and years of chasing around after demons and monster with the Legacy had kept him in excellent shape. Unlike Nick, Dee had always been acutely aware of his physique. He was covered in lean muscle. Now that she was no longer worried about his burning skin, or acting like a crushing schoolgirl, Dee could look her fill. Her eyes swept over the light dusting of hair on his chest as it tapered off over his abs and trailed under the waistband of his jeans.

 

She licked her lips for much needed moisture. Nick’s jeans were bulging in very intriguing ways, that Deirdre simply could not concentrate on properly. Not with the sensations thrumming through her breasts. With another growl, she grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him over her. Nick’s mouth was level with Dee’s and she wrapped her legs around his waist almost tight enough to hurt. Deirdre ground her hips into his, seeking the friction they promised.

 

“No more teasing.” Deirdre hissed.

 

Nick’s mouth went dry as her small, swift hands worked at his belt. Dee freed it and threw it across the room, breaking what was surely some priceless vase, on a nearby table. She didn’t bat an eyelash as she moved on to work at his button and fly. The hungry look on her face set him on fire.

 

“Baby, I’m just getting started.” He purred. Nick’s irises started to glitter red.

 

Nick pulled Deirdre’s hands away from his pants and placed them above her head. She whimpered at him, but left her hands where they were, waiting to see what he’d do. He steadied back on his knees and stepped off the bed to the side of her. Nick popped the button on his jeans and slid the zipper down. Dee whimpered and reached for him.

 

“Uh uh! We’re doing this properly. Remember?” Nick scolded.

 

Dee growled deeper, but obediently put her hands back above her head and waited. Nick grinned and slid the jeans and underwear down his thighs, letting them drop to the floor. He’d never had complaints from any of his lovers regarding the size of his cock. And from the way Dee squirmed, wiggling her ass into the sheets as her greedy gaze slid over his erection, Nick figured she approved.

 

He got back into the bed, positioning his knees in between hers. Dee reached for him again. Nick let her slide her soft hands down his chest and flicker tentatively over his hard cock. When the sensation became so great that he couldn’t help but bite his own lip, he grabbed her wrists. Dee hissed at the quickness of the movement. Something broke inside Nick. He slammed her wrists back into the pillow above her head. He kissed her hard, snarling and bruising her lips. Nick felt her chest rumble against him. Dee arched her body to meet his, giving as good as she got.

 

Nick broke away, taking a steadying breath. It was no good. Despite her assurances, he needed to get control of himself or he was going to hurt her. Part of him even wanted to hurt her. Nick couldn’t allow himself to give into it...but maybe he could satiate that beast inside another way.

 

An idea occurred to Nick. His hands trailed down her sides and he hooked his thumbs under the sides of her underwear, easing her thighs apart as he slid the thong off. He paused a moment to just look at her.

 

He must have held it a moment too long because Dee growled again, hips bucking. He moved between her legs trailing kisses up her inner thigh. She groaned again. “Gods Nick! What are you waiting for? I said no more…ohh!”

 

Dee hadn’t thought he would do THAT. At least not to start. But that was okay, because she couldn’t think now at all. Couldn’t even remember what she’d been doing a moment ago. Couldn’t think of anything but the spine tingling, toe curling, amazing things he was doing with his mouth..

 

Deirdre’s back arched off the bed as her first orgasm broke over her without any warning. The one that had been building in the background since the moment they’d hit the bed. Nick set it off with just the right flick of his talented tongue. She screamed; first his name, then incoherent howls of pleasure. Her control broke entirely. She couldn’t take it anymore. Her claws lengthened out, biting into his back. Dee was freefalling.

 

Nick hissed, looking first at the scratches, then at her. His eyes had gone from bloodshot to glittering full on red, and she knew that the curse was making his control slip too. It was his turn to growl. “Now.  I..need.. you…now!”

 

“Gods yes!” was all she could manage.

 

Nick slid back up her body in one hurried movement. He looked at her for one last..something. Glowing yellow eyes met glittering red, and Deirdre slid her hips forward, urging him on.

 

He sank forward, resting his forehead against Dee’s. Their mouths were a hair’s width apart as he slid into her. Both breathed raggedly. She stared intently into his eyes. Nick’s jaw was set, and it was clearly taking everything he had to go slow and let her adjust. Deirdre closed her eyes, momentarily enjoying the sensations. Then she gave him a wolfish grin and gripped his neck, smashing her lips against his in a searing kiss.

 

Nick lost all modicum of control at that point, slamming into her. His movements were jerky and fevered at first.  All worry about hurting her was gone. He let the beast out, clutching at her desperately with each hard thrust. It was just as well, because the pain was the farthest thing from Deirdre’s mind. Even when she felt the slight sting of her hymen tearing, Dee barely noticed it under the driving pleasure.

 

She and Nick tangled themselves up in the bedclothes, finding a rhythm. Both of them chasing the peak of pleasure. This time it was his turn to grunt as he slipped over the edge first. Instinctively, Dee angled herself so his last stroke hit just right on her clit. So she followed him, keening over the edge.

 

Nick rolled to the side. They both lay panting for a few moments. After a while he turned to Deirdre, his eyes a duller red color. “Are you okay?”

 

“Are you kidding?” She replied. “That was…”

 

“Decent?” he asked, half joking.

 

She rolled over on her stomach to look him in the eye. “Amazing!”

 

“No kidding.” He smiled. He was getting used to the soft golden glow in her eyes, even becoming fond of the way the glow intensified with her emotions.

 

“Really?”

 

“Really.” He reassured. “Even….”

 

Nick choked halfway through his sentence. His skin flared with an angry burn again, almost instantly. Deirdre straddled his hips, laying her hands on his chest as he coughed. “Nick? Nick! Don’t you die on me!”

 

Dee tried running her hands over his chest but the burn didn’t recede as before. Nick wasn’t taking in any air. Deirdre’s heart pounded. She was losing him. Her touch didn’t seem to cause any improvement at all. So she tried kissing him. When she released him, Nick took in a great heaving breath, and Deirdre sighed in relief. His eyes snapped open, pulsing a hotter darker blood red.

 

“Again?” he grunted.

 

“Okay. Just don’t die!” Dee quipped. “How about we take it a bit slower this time, huh?”

 

She took Nick’s hands and placed them to rest on her hips. His fingers dug into her backside, drawing small trickles of blood. The beasts inside her were awake now too, The Wolf and The Slayer, and they wanted control. Deirdre let them have it. Instinct took over, and she bent down to take in the scent of him. Sweat, aftershave, gun oil, and a musk that was distinctly Nick Boyle. “Hmm…you smell good.”

 

He captured her mouth again hungrily, and Dee bit into his lip, eliciting a growl from Nick. Her wolf keened in satisfaction. Deirdre began to move, needing to feel all of him, skin to skin. She rubbed her hips against his, feeling his body respond. She felt the wolf’s power radiate over him, extending pheromones. The Slayer in her stopped the Wolf  just short of the Change.

 

“Yes…” She crooned. “Feel me. Enjoy the feel of me, as I do you.”

 

“God, Deirdre.” Nick gasped. “I don’t know what you’re doing to me. But don’t stop!”

 

“Not until you ask real nice.” She teased, claiming his mouth again.

 

Deirdre found quickly that she liked being on top, the dominance of it. She liked having him yearn for her. The Wolf let speech fall away, feeling her way around his body. She rocked against him a few more times, whetting her lover’s appetite, kissing him deeply, before letting her mouth wander.

 

Just as Nick had before, Deirdre tasted the skin of his neck, his chest, and belly. She worked her way down his body. His hips arched off the bed when her mouth reached its goal.  She ran her tongue around the head of his cock. Once. Twice. Before popping it all the way in.

 

“Fuck!”

 

“Soon.” She assured, pausing in her exploration briefly, before lathing him with her tongue.

 

It was a new action for her, but Dee quickly found a rhythm that worked. She allowed Nick to tangle his fingers in her hair, guiding her. She watched the expressions on his face with fascination as he came, loudly, and she swallowed him down until he was still again.

 

Careful to keep her skin against his, Dee slid up his body. Whispering in his ear. “Tonight, you belong to me, Nick. And I take care of what’s mine.”

 

“I’m not complaining.” Nick replied, breathlessly. Curiously, he noted that her eyes had gone from shining yellow, to all black. They shined like obsidian. Somehow it was just as hot to him.“But out of curiosity, is that you talking Dee, or the Wolf?”

 

“A bit of both. The Wolf wants to play. So does the Slayer in me. But they apparently like it a bit rough. Any objections?”

 

“I’m no china doll either.” Nick trailed his fingernails down her spine, letting them bite just a bit into her back. The Wolf and the Slayer approved.

 

Nick pulled Dee back to him, kissing her deeply. She nipped at his lips with teeth that were just a bit sharper than usual. He pulled her onto his lap and Deirdre seated him again at her opening. Nick gripped her hips and thrust home again, hard. He drew out her pleasure this time, pulling out and re-entering her slowly. She rode him, building up heat to a fever pitch. At one point, Dee bit into Nick’s shoulder a little too hard, drawing blood.

 

“Mine.” Dee declared, eyes shining black.

 

Nick rolled her back onto the bed and thrust harder, deeper than he ever had. “Mine!”

 

Deirdre and Nick locked in a dance of rough, almost punishing sex, skirting the line between lust and battle. A violent orgasm overtook them that was so intense that they both passed out. Luckily when they awoke, both were still breathing and none the worse for the wear. For the rest of the night, Nick and Deirdre made love in all different positions, exploring each other. Sometimes they were soft and gentle, sometimes rough and ready, and everything in between.

 

Dee was careful not to separate from Nick for more than a few moments until the sun broke through the tower windows. When Nick finally settled into sleep, she watched him. After a good ten minutes had passed without new burns or coughing fits, Deirdre let herself drift into a sated sleep beside her lover.

 

A few hours later, Dee woke to Nick’s hand on her back and a kiss on her cheek. She opened her emerald green eyes to see his normal beautiful blue ones. “Rise and shine, sweetness. Rachel will be up to let us out any minute.”

 

“Ugh, I don’t wanna go to school.” She grumbled and rolled onto her back, dramatically flinging an arm across her eyes.

 

Dee heard Nick chuckle and felt the bed shift as he rolled off it. She peeked long enough to see him slip his jeans on. Something inside her slumped. He was leaving.

 

“Well, I guess, it was fun while it lasted. So, that’s it then? You go back to the States and I head on to Paris. We pretend like nothing ever happened?”

 

Nick turned back to her, hopping back up on the bed. “Not gonna happen. You saved my life. That’s a debt I’m not going to forget.”

 

“I’m not interested in your debt.” Deirdre turned her back on him, cradling her knees against her chest.

 

Nick was at a loss.“Deirdre, I…”

 

Dee shook her head, wiping away tears. She gave him a sad smile. “Forget it. I’m sorry. I’m just being childish. You’re alive, and that’s all that matters.”

 

Then it clicked for him. She thought he was walking out on her. That he was preparing to do the morning-after Walk of Shame. He reached out to brush the moisture off her face. “Sweetheart…”

 

“Look, just promise me that you won’t beat yourself up about last night, okay? I don’t regret it at all! I know that it wasn’t exactly your ideal situation, it was one of the best nights of my life. And I might not get another like it.”

 

“Deirdre…” he tried to interrupt her unsuccessfully.

 

“I mean, I’m the Slayer. I could die tomorrow, and never feel again what I felt last night with you. So please.. please don’t regret it.” Dee couldn’t even meet Nick’s eyes anymore.

 

When it became clear that he couldn’t silence her, Nick went in to kiss her.  He was interrupted by a knock on the outer door of the suite, which startled Deirdre. Nick smiled and pulled the covers up over her shoulders. She complied, huddling under them. By the time Rachel tentatively walked into the sitting room, Nick had found a shirt and looked somewhat presentable.

 

When Rachel saw him, relief washed over her face. “Oh thank god!”

 

She hugged him tight, then held her hands to his face and took his pulse, trying to assess him.

 

“Rachel, I’m fine.”

 

“Well, outwardly I’d agree. But we are getting a full blood panel on you today!”

 

“Yes, doctor.”

 

Rachel’s smile faded as she looked at the cracked door to the bedroom. “And Deirdre? How is she?”

 

Nick wiped a hand over his face, and then through his hair. Damn he was tired. “Holding up. She’s still in bed. We kind of..um..wore each other out.”

 

“Do you mind if I…?” Rachel motioned to the door.

 

Nick nodded and held back the urge to roll his eyes. He reminded himself that, given all they’d been through, it was perfectly reasonable for Rachel to want to verify Deirdre’s safety.

 

“Be my guest.” He made a bowing gesture toward the door.

 

Rachel peeked into the bedroom, her eyes going immediately to the pile of sheets with a streaked brunette head peeking out the top. Deirdre continued to “play possum” but took a deep sighing breath that rustled the sheets, to give Rachel proof of life. Apparently it was enough, because Rachel backed out of the room.

 

Rachel turned back to Nick. “I’ll head back downstairs and leave you the room key. I’ll let Derek and Stanton know that you’re both okay. You ARE okay, aren’t you?”

 

“Yes Rachel, I am okay.” He sighed, giving her a begrudging smile. “Really.”

 

“Okay, but if either of you need to talk later, I can help.” Rachel said as she walked to the door.

 

He took the key from her and ushered her out. “I appreciate that, Rache, and I will probably take you up on it.”

 

“Okay.” She gave him a smile and a kiss on the cheek on the way out. “Nick, I am very grateful that you’re alive.”

 

Nick nodded, smiling back at her before she headed down the stairs. He closed and locked the door behind her. He stared at the key in his hand for a moment, bemused. Then, he shook his thoughts away, and walked back into the bedroom, placing the key on a nearby table. He moved to sit down beside the pile of sheets.

 

Deirdre threw the sheets off her head dramatically. “Is she gone?”

 

Nick nodded. “Now you know why I was getting dressed. Rachel is an early riser.”

 

“I didn’t even hear her coming up the stairs.” Dee frowned. “And I should have. Wolf hearing and all. I guess I’ll need to work on that.”

 

“Well you were a bit preoccupied.” He chuckled.

 

When he saw the humor flee from her face again, Nick sighed. He took both her hands in both of his. “Sweetheart, I am grateful for what you did last night for me. You saved my life. I wasn’t ready to die. And please believe me when I say that it was definitely a night I will remember fondly for the rest of my life. I am in your debt, in the best of ways. And if there is ever anything that you need or want from me, all you have to do is ask.”

 

Tears were brimming at the edge of Dee’s eyes and she wiped them away. She was smiling though. “Really? Anything?”

 

“Anything.” Nick nodded.

 

She pulled one of her hands free of his and caressed the side of his face. She kissed him softly and just deeply enough to leave him slightly breathless. As Deirdre pulled back to look into his eyes, Nick saw the barest flash of gold around her irises. The sheet wrapped around Deirdre’s breasts dropped to pool around her lap.

 

Dee whispered as she pulled Nick back to her by his shirt collar. “Once more for the road?”

  


 


End file.
